"RRRRHHHAAAAA!!!" Mirko crushed a Nomu with the sheer force of her thighs alone. She jumped off of the falling corpse and onto the back of another monster rushing in to help. The sea of Twices was a confusing one. She noticed that half of them were trying to help while the other half weren't.

     This high-end Nomu Mirko set her attention on had the body of a woman, and boy was it a hassle! Though she ended up killing that one, mid hop through the air on her hunt for another, a strange high-end Nomu with a steaming head charged at the hero, grabbing the hero by her leg and throwing her to the ground. Mirko caught herself, but that didn't save her from taking much damage. She yelped, gasping in pain as her right leg now refused to function underneath her. Her knee had been completely snapped, bending at an unnatural angle. The hero bent down and snapped her leg into place, but she would need a little more if she was going to take out as many Nomu as possible!

     Mirko scanned the valley of violence for her next target. Luckily for her, the next Nomu came to her. The rabbit hero clenched her fists and jumped into battle. She never needed two legs anyways! What she didn't expect was for the Nomu to suddenly turn into three. All perfect copies of each other, the three formed to surround her before she even reached the first. They all grabbed a limb of hers and started to tug. Mirko could do nothing but twist her body and hope to fight it.

     'Crap! Crap! CRAP! I shouldn't have just jumped in this time!'

     Her prosthetic arm was the first to break off. Then her broken knee was torn even further out of joint, her tough skin now the only thing holding on.

     'I can break out of this! I just have to...sacrifice..my limbs!!'

     Suddenly, in the blink of an eye, one of the three Nomu was completely demolished by a massive blast of energy! Mirko squinted through the dust, drops of Monu blood sprinkling her face. Through the smoke and melting Twices approached a man wearing a cheap navy suit. His brown eyes were darkened, determination set in them to help as many as he could. It took the rabbit hero a while to even recognize this stranger.

     Serizawa dropped the bare bones of his shredded umbrella and drew a deck of business cards. He charged in with impressive speeds, slicing a whip of glowing cards through the brain of the Nomu that charged him. Mirko was left on the ground as Serizawa finished off the last of the three. That suit of his was already getting terribly scraped, some of his own blood joining with his clothes, but the man was alright for the most part. After those two Nomu had been dealt with, the Esper ran up to Mirko, eyes terribly wide with worry to see the state she was in.

     "Ca-can you stand?!"

     "You're not a hero, are you?"

     "No, ma'am!" Serizawa bowed. "But I came here to help! He-here! I- I think I can repair your prosthetic with my telekinesis!"

     "Meh, I can fight without it! I just need t- ghhh!" The woman moved, immediately regretting it as a pang of pain shot through her, sprouting from the knee.

     "A-are you sure??! Oh man, maybe we should take you to the hospital instead.."

     "Give it a break, man! I've fought without an arm before, I'll be fine!"

     "Mmmh," Serizawa wasn't exactly convinced. He loosened his tie and untied it from around his neck. Then, he enforced its fibers with his energy and knelt down to help wrap her knee with it. "As long as I'm conscious, this should stay tight on its own.." Mirko rolled her eyes but relented, allowing him to help tie up her broken limb. She took up watch duty, which proved helpful only moments later.

     "ON YOUR FLANK!" Mirko hollered. Serizawa shrieked and spun his head around. He stretched out his hand, the suit jacket of his instantly shredding apart to form the shape of a shield around them, which his energy infused the space between. The Nomu pounced on the barrier but the glowing sphere didn't break. Now it was just the man in his obviously bloody suit top, huffing and puffing, all jittery now.

     "Is this a war we are in the middle of..?!" He breathed nervously, turning his attention back to the woman. Mirko's ears faltered some, revealing a nervousness the rest of her refused to convey. She scanned the land around them. What was once a beautiful school campus and vital refugee site...was now being completely destroyed!

     Mirko forced a chuckle. "Yeah. I'm honestly surprised you came."

     "Oh- um, I'm just trying to find my friends at the moment! Jin ran in one direction! Reigen in another direction! And Teruki flew up into the sky I think!" Serizawa finished wrapping her knee, presently staring through his barrier to see if he could spot anyone he recognized.

     "Oh wow! Sounds like you've got your hands full!" Mirko laughed. The Esper sweat, obviously worried for his friends. "Hey!" She slapped the side of his shoulder, snagging his full attention. "If I see any of them, I'll ensure they make it out safely!" Mirko offered the man a smile. She already vaguely knew who he was talking about from that graduation party she attended. .. Except for Jin. That was a new name.

     "You're too kind!"

     "Nehh, just a hero! Now get rid of this barrier so I can-"

     "-Wait you need your arm!" Serizawa fled his own barrier like it was nothing, returning a few moments later with the dented scrap that was the rabbit hero's prosthetic. As promised, he used his telekinesis to fix and reattach the thing speedily. Mirko flexed her robotic fingers and grinned.

     "Thanks!" The barrier fell away, Serizawa collecting all the pieces of his jacket to tuck into his pockets and ran as well, continuing his search.

----------

Meanwhile, the Todorokis:

I love the fight, but I ain't rewriting all that!

Only difference here is that, since they already knew the truth they didn't have to process quite as much.

----------

     Ryo had no idea why his boss had his eyes set on specifically that one green haired kid's quirk, but, whatever. The boss wants what he wants. And Ryo was in no position to argue or question.

     Problems quickly arose, however, when that kid's teacher show up. And quite the quirk he had. Shigaraki turned out to be the only one capable of pressing on without his quirk(s), leaving Ryo to handle and hold back whoever was left.

     He liked fighting this way, anyways. Just teleporting around punching the crap out of anyone standing up to his boss and coworkers. He moved too quickly for anyone to prepare, and there were so many targets, well, no one could be sure who he would go after next!

     In the middle of fighting a clan of UA brats in an attempt to defend the Chisaki Nomu, Ryo was suddenly attacked by a darting beam of golden light. He took flight, shot way up into the air. The beam followed, zigzagging at intense speeds. The man shook his head, regaining his bearings up in the air. As the force of that hit dwindled, the man caught himself, standing on the air. An ache resonated in his stomach where he had been hit. What was that?!

     "Hey! You!.. Yeah, you!!" Ryo pointed to himself as he spun around with a faked, dumbfound look. He recognized that voice. That brat.. The blond brat in question stood in the air as well, fists clenched, jaw tight. "I thought you were supposed to be blind in a mental hospital! So what are you doing here?!"

     Ryo tilted his head and touched his chin, a playful smile taking the place of his previous frown. "Listen I'm just trying to live my life without fear.. That too immoral for you?" He completely avoided the question..mostly.

     "It IS when you make it everyone else's PROBLEM!" Teru stomped the air.

     "Everyone's problem?.. You know, you could easily just walk away and it would no longer be your problem anymore~! Ever considered that~?"

     "It is my problem still! I had plans to attend this school next year!"

     Ryo scoffed, hands in his pockets, walking towards the kid. "Taww.. like you ever needed this school anyway~ Judging by that move you just hit me with, you'd do pretty fine on your own.."

     "Fine at what, exactly? Fighting isn't the only thing you need in order to become a hero!" Teru spat, crossing his arms.

     "Well it sure does seem like it! I mean, I've never met a hero who's not tried to fight me.." Ryo leaned in the air, some invisible prop bracing his back. It just occured to Teru then that this guy was just talking to him now.

     'Is this intentional, or.. is he just in the mood to talk? What's the deal?! May as well stall while I have him here.' Hanazawa decided.

     "Okay, be serious, HOW did you get your quirk?"

     "Dunno. Was born with it, I think." Ryo smirked.

     The man was honestly having too much fun with this! While Teru thought he was stalling him, the reverse was actually happening. He could predict every time the teen would blink, and so in that very moment would teleport away, punch a kid, and teleport back like nothing happened! It was honestly fun to watch the blond, wondering when or if he would even notice~!

     "Alright! You listen to me! I'm not here to play games! If you haven't noticed, there is a WAR going on below us!! And I need answers!"

     "Alright then, how about we go back and forth, hm? If you can answer a question for me, I'll answer a question for you." Ryo fell forwards, arms crossing and holding his torso up as if resting atop an invisible table or something.

     "..Alright..." Finding out how Ryo got his quirk back would undoubtedly be valuable information well worth an exchange.

     "Tell me, do you know why my boss wants that green haired kid so much?" Ryo pointed down at the sparking OFA user presently using his quirk to kick one of Chisaki's six arms off.

     Teru's eyes shot back up from the sight, a pit in his stomach. "Uh, wait, so you're saying you don't know?!"

     "Mmm, yeah. Everyone else seems to know, but I'm still technically a rookie."

     "Well... I- I can't really help you there..." This was a problem. Teru had noticed Deku was getting swarmed, but he'd just assumed that was just because of how powerful he was! The revelation that the elder teen was actively being targeted really put things into perspective! He needed to find a way to help him if his quirk was that valuable to the enemy!

     "Hmmm, I figured.. Just thought I'd give it a shot... Anywho, guess that means I don't have to answer any of your questions either!" Ryo made it look like he was about to drop down from the sky.

     "W-WAIT!" Teru waved his hands out. 'D###it, what would Shigeo do?!' .. "Uh-uh- You don't have to follow around the main villain blindly! Because you're the main character of your own life!"

     "HAH!!..."Ryo rolled his head back, clutching his stomach as a silent wheeze overcame him. "That's a good one." Eyes opening just a little as he cleared a tiny tear. "In that case, the whole world is screwed! Because my life is an f###ing tragedy!"

     Teru huffed. "You know what I mean!! You don't have to do whatever your 'boss' says! Just run away if you don't know or care about what is going on!"

     Ryo's brows furrowed. His happy-go-lucky mood completely falling apart. "You can say that all you want.. but this thing says otherwise..." He tugged at the collar of shirt, revealing a shiny dark steel and reddish patch. Some device clinging to the base of his neck along the right side. "Like it?.. Pretty handy little trinket too, because the moment I do anything the boss finds suspicious...It'll inject me with enough of the quirk erasing stuff to ensure I never see again.." He held onto the collar of his shirt and jacket long enough for Teru to get a good look at it, then let go, the cloth snapping back into place to cover the thing up. His closed eyes stared very grimly ahead at the teen, who came to understand and somewhat even sympathize rather easily. But Ryo broke that moment apart with a quick grin. "Not like I was ever planning to defy his wishes anyway~ I do owe him my life, after all.."

     Teru squinted as he thought. Even something like that still wasn't a good excuse to do terrible things.

     "That's....your EXCUSE?! You're scared to lose your QUIRK again?! How pathetic is that!!" Teruki laughed. His eyes shot up to the clear blue sky overhead. Even if it was just for a moment, he got too comfortable. Too comfortable with the enemy he'd just managed to strike through the heart with that insult. You see...while Ryo is used to not taking insults very seriously..this one managed a direct hit. And from that erupted an anger he hadn't experienced in, well, he couldn't even remember the last time.

     Before Teru knew it, his head was grabbed and smashed through a thick sheet of glass, then the ground, then against the hard steel UA wall, and even against another student! Ryo'd never wanted to rip someone apart so violently before now! Any form of self restraint he had before was now completely gone!! The boy's nose was undoubtedly broken by the time this rapid barrage of attacks slowed. "I'D LIKE TO SEE YOU LIVE A DAY IN MY LIFE!!" Teru was thrown immediately after into the UA wall, clouds of dust and whistling air following after. His impact cracked the dark metal surface! Teru coughed, but before gravity could even claim him, Ryo rocketed in after with a bone-cracking gut punch to the ribs.

     The boy's vision flashed in and out. He could barely process what was going on anymore, but he found himself pushing against Ryo's straining hand, which was trying with all its might to claw his eyes out!

     "I'm sorry- I'm sorry, okay?! I just meant it wasn't a good excuse!!"

     "Oh I heard what you said! Enjoy being blind and quirkless, you little s###!" Ryo's knee was atop Teru's chest. That, and his hand squeezing his neck held the teen in place. Teru had to use both of his arms to push back against only one of the man's. Ryo must have had control of his own gravity, because he acted like the wall was the ground for him, making this even harder on Teru. His arms ached, pained, but he couldn't give up! Not while Ryo's fingers aimed like daggers at his eyes!

     "Pl-please.." Teru was getting desperate. He saw no help on the way. And it was inevitable if this continued for Ryo to win! "This...really..isn't...right!" His jaw clamped tightly. "I'm sorry that I called you pathetic! M-maybe you have a good reason for liking your powers! Maybe you--"

     "--You're d### right I do!!" Ryo shoved his hand an inch closer to Teruki's big, terror filled eyes. "My powers are the only thing I know that's real anymore! They're the only thing I can bring myself to care about!.. Your powers are only important because they make you feel cool! Well, mine are the only thing I still have!!" Right as Ryo's finger tips reached his eyes, Teru managed to twist his face away, giving himself just a little more time. There was no doubt in his mind that he had managed to strike an emotional cord in this villain. The trembling in his voice, eagerness for another to understand.

     These were the true emotions of a man who was struggling in a sea of guilt and anguish. All shrouded in a terrible, overwhelming rage. It reminded Teru of his past self in a way..but even worse. Much worse. ... Was there even a coming back from this..? Or was he already too far gone?

     "..So what does it matter if nothing in this world is real or not??" Teru hissed through his teeth, eyes tightly shut. "You're still choosing to hurt people!" Tears reached his eyes. "I know your pain.. Even if it's not as bad, I know what it's like to think your power is the only thing you h-ave!" He was able to push back against Ryo's hand easier, since the man no longer fought so hard. The teen was able to slide his eyelids open a little, side eyeing Ryo a little. "..I may not know what it feels like to be you, but that do-esn't mean I can't understand your pain!

     ..But it doesn't have to be like this forever.

     Hurting other people won't make you feel any better. ... Not one bit..." Dark speckles were filling Teru's eyes. He was so focused on ensuring his own eyes didn't get clawed out that giving his throat enough space to breathe was only a second priority. A decision that now haunted him, as he was on the verge of passing out.

     Ryo didn't appear to fully intend to strike the teen right now, though. Rather, he was torn between thinking about what the boy had said... and the steadily approaching aura.

     Ryo slid back up onto his feet, stomping Teru's chest to keep the teen from slipping. He stood horizontally to the rest of the world, his gravity a little off at the moment. The blind one's brows furrowed, features tightening as the familiar aura approached.

     Serizawa was here.

     He walked along the wall too, horizontal to the rest of the world. The occasional waft of wind or distant explosion broke up his messy brown locks. But nothing deterred the man's gaze. His eyes were locked firmly onto the two Espers ahead, a set glare directly aimed at Ryo.

     "Ugh... I've really been trying to avoid this fight..." Ryo growled under his breath. But, he lifted his shoulders, swaying his arms out on either side of him in a welcoming sort of gesture. "Alriiight, Serizawa! Since we were once old work buddies, I'll offer you a chance to surrender! No harm will come to you or your little blond friend!... However, refuse my offer and you can expect me to not hold back on any of my punches!" He offered something of a grin.

     Serizawa was not messing around. He grimaced at the sight of Teru's bloody face, a rare splash of hatred filling his eyes. "Then I won't hold back any of mine.."

     "Hhhhh, well alright then." Leaning a little, Ryo portrayed a semi-regretful, mostly bored look. "Guess this is goodbye."

     Dang... Who knew Serizawa could be so scary?

---

"I- I'm Sorry; it's not like I'm trying to be your father or anything! I'm just trying to make sure you feel comfortable is all! Do you...want to hear a story before bed..?"

"Heheh, what kind of question is that?! I'd love to! .. And...about the dad thing... I mean.. I already have parents.. Distant ones... But, you're a pretty close second to me, so I don't really care!"

---

     He had to give this his all.

     'The old boss always said I was stronger than Shimizaki, however, that means close to nothing when I have so little experience compared to him! I have to see this like I'm playing a tank character against someone with insane DPS. I need to strategize in order to win against someone like that!' Ryo lifted his foot from off of Teru, allowing the boy to slip down the wall. 'Crap, I don't have time!!'

     As Teruki prepared for a great fall, Serizawa caught him with telekinesis. Ryo used that split second to teleport to his opponent's right, swinging a strong kick. Serizawa gasped, the broken fabric in his pocket jumping out to form a quick barrier between himself and the blur.

     'Unless he's somehow gotten stronger, this should be enough energy!'

     ...He'd gotten stronger...

     While Ryo's leg was still bracing Serizawa's barrier, a second wave of impact rippled throughout his body and tore through, crashing the glowing psychic shield. That didn't leave him with enough force to harm the man behind it, so Ryo teleported again, same place; different position. Using gravity to his advantage, Ryo stomped the brunette before he had time to register where he had teleported to next. He immediately after followed the exact same move on Teru so that the two would fall together.

     "TERU!!" Serizawa didn't want the boy to get any more hurt than he was. Saerizaw kicked off the wall the two sped down at an angle, wrapping himself around Teruki a second before they hit the ground! The elder took the full brunt of the impact, fainting immediately after.

     "Da-! Se-serizawa!!" Teru panicked as he pushed himself up, checking quickly to make sure the man's breathing was alright. Ryo walked down the wall toward them casually.

     "I'm ashamed to say that man would have likely beat me had he not inconvenienced himself with caring about you." Teru growled there on the ground.

     The teen swung his body around. "Air whips!!" He caught Ryo by the legs but the man simply teleported out.

     "Aww, shouting the names of your moves now? As if predicating them on my own wasn't easy enough!" Ryo teleported around the teen as he spoke, hands in his pockets, so casual, completely reset from the way he was before. It was honestly like he had some kind of mental switch that made him forget any emotions he had prior, which, for him, was actually quite likely. "Let's see what else ya got~" Ryo teleported behind Teru.

     Suddenly, there were five Terus surrounding the man, all aiming fists of fire at him. Ryo vanished, leaving them to cook up the grass at their feet.

     "Ooo~ That's a new one!" Ryo reappeared. "With your talent, there's no doubt you could have had a chance at beating me last year!.. Want to see what I've been working on~?" Ryo vanished. Teru readied himself in a battle stance, grinding his teeth as he searched the sky. His telekinetic clones faded away, leaving him alone to guard over the sleeping Serizawa.

     A crack formed in the ground under his feet. Teru's eyes widened.

BOOM!

     The earth erupted beneath Teru, both sending layers of rock up at the young Esper and opening a terribly deep hole, gaping wide to swallow any above it! Teru put up a barrier to shield himself from flying rocks, but..

     "SERIZAWA!" The fainted man, now with no ground underneath him, was fated to fall into the dark abyss below.

     "HYRRRRRRR-YAHHH!" Mirko took a running jump over the pit, catching the brunette in her arms. The two of them tumbled onto the other side of the pit. "I'VE GOT HIM! NOW COME WITH ME!!" She didn't have time to really explain how she knew, but, after that psychic bandage around her knee went limp, she just knew.

     "No~ I'm afraid the boy's coming with me." Ryo appeared inside the blond's barrier. He grabbed the top of Teru's head and teleported the two of them elsewhere, high above the war stained ground. He instantly threw Teruki into the main UA building. Teru cushioned the blow with a few barriers, but he still managed to form a huge crater with that impact. Even more glass flung out of place as he used the building to fling himself at Ryo. The fight was on. In the sky. Both had decided that in order to continue helping those on their side, they needed to remove the other from the equation.

     Both were pretty tattered from previous fighting, and both had memorized the other's fighting styles, so it was just a game of endurance and creativity now. Ryo ran in the air towards Teru, teleporting behind him. As Teruki spun, his hand glowing, a second away from blasting the man with a powerful explosion, Ryo teleported overhead, prepared for a full-force stomp!

     ' 'Ryo, the f###?!. Stop fighting a child!!' ' He heard a familiar "voice" in his head. But it was far too late to stop him now. Ryo completed the stomp, sending the blond hurtling to the ground!

Vvvvvvvvvwp-

     Teruki was caught bridal style by two strong, lanky arms. His mind was so hazy. Every muscle and bone ached. Head leaning back, he tiredly stared up at a stranger. One with white hair and a black bandanna covering his eyes. "...Wh?"

     "It's okay, kid.." The stranger grinned down at him. "You get some rest. I'll take it from here."

     "Oh...k" For some reason -- whether it be his terrible headache or this new, insanely strong aura he sensed -- Teru had no problem trusting this complete stranger. Teru allowed his tired eyes to slip shut. He could trust this man to take care of it... That aura he sensed was stronger than Ry-- ...better. It was on par with Mob's.

     The new guy hummed sympathetically as the kid fell limp in his arms. So many cuts, bruises, and broken bones. .. He would make this fight quick for his sake.

     ...Okay, maybe he would have a little fun~

     Ryo scanned the nearby area for his sister. That woman would pay for what she did to him! He wanted to have a good look at her face as he took away her quirk!!

     "You know.. It's really unprofessional going around beating up children.." A new, floating figure rose into the air about a dozen feet behind Ryo. This man was tall and lean. Over Ryo by at least five inches! Bright white hair shoved upward by the pitch bandana on his forehead. His outfit was terribly simple as well. Black pants and black long sleeve buttoned up jacket with a loose turtleneck; something you'd expect out of a school uniform void of creativity. The villain spun around, a brow lifting as he got a good look at this stranger.

     ...Wait a minute... He knew who this guy was!.. Though only a fable wherever he asked about other Esper Organizations, Satoru Gojo was a name often murmured into his ear. It was strange to finally run into the myth, the legend, in person. His aura was palpable. Unlike Mob's, this immense, earth rattling amount of energy was condensed like the core of a dwarf star. But ignorable it was not! ...So, this was the real deal then... Ryo's heart raced from simply standing before him!

     "...Teh," The villain covered up his excitement/fear with a boastful grin. "you could say it's pretty unprofessional to go around picking fights with blind people too, but I've never gotten a single sorry as of yet... I'm curious, by the way.. That bandanna~  Are you like me too?"

     Gojo scoffed. "No! I..just like the challenge once and a while~" To demonstrate, the white haired man slipped up his bandanna a little, revealing a perfectly healthy, sparkling blue eye.

     Ryo growled. Somehow this felt like an insult.

     Gojo leaned back a little in the air, quickly getting bored. "You know.. I was secretly routing for you from the sidelines. After all, most of the people you took out were corrupt politicians and figureheads I never really liked anyways." He chuckled, then sighed. "But then you had to go and threaten a bunch of innocent school kids, which, sadly means this is where I have to put your story to an end.." Despite the obvious threat, Gojo remained smiling.

     Ryo clenched his fists. Crap! If this guy took him seriously, he was done for! He needed to find a way to trick this man into toying with him to spare himself some time!

     Luckily for him, Gojo was just the type to enjoy toying with his prey.~ Especially those considered strong.

     The white haired young man suddenly disappeared into the thin air. Shape, aura, everything! All gone in an instant! Ryo gasped. Just when he was beginning to think he had been over exaggerating this possibility with Reigen, here it was! An Esper who could COMPLETELY hide himself from being detected!!

     Ryo spun around in all directions using every form of scanning he could think of! But nothing was working! It was like the guy just vanished!!.. Did he?-

     "I thought my Infinity might have this kind of an affect!~" Gojo chuckled. Despite being undetectable, Ryo could hear that mocking tone oh so close. Practically hovering over his shoulder.. A jab pierced him in the side. Though a mere tap as far as Gojo was concerned, the impact rattled the villain's ribs, forcing out an agonizing gasp. He wasn't prepared for that! How was his quirk supposed to predict a hit when said hit was supposedly a million miles away?! "I'm honestly impressed how terrible of a match-up I am for you!.. I mean.. Not like you would stand a chance against me either way, but this is just sad!" A low laugh; the good guy was clearly enjoying this.

     Ryo began to teleport at random to make himself less of a target, holding his psychic barrier up consistently to block any coming blows! Doing this would tire himself out a heck of a lot quicker, but it wasn't like he had the luxury of crafting long-term plans while facing off against the Gojo!

     Still, Ryo earned himself a good smack-down, as again and again his opponent sped to his new location at sky breaking speeds in order to land a sweet punch or kick to the weaker Esper. The villain started to panic. Could he teleport too?!

     "Despite what you are experiencing, no, I cannot teleport." Gojo explained casually while he beat the ever-living schist out of his opponent! "No, believe it or not, I only have two quirks, which I've learned to stretch, reshape, and combine over the years to form a wide variety of tasks.. Take my invisibility for example!" Gojo formed his fists together, smacking hard into Ryo's spine as the villain, as predicted, teleported in front of him. Ryo hurtled into the ground, forming a crater where he landed. Gojo just as quickly jumped down to continue talking. "Funny thing is, you're the only one who can't actually see me! All this ability does is create a barrier of infinite space around myself! It's what I like to call Infinity!.. Part of my Limitless quirk!" As Ryo was pushing himself up onto his knees, struggling to stand, Gojo kicked him into the air, jumping after him and kicking him again mid air into the UA building. Ryo smashed through several walls, ending up inside a bland office now full with dust and rubble. Yet again, Gojo appeared by his side. "Believe it or not, this is only the tip of the iceberg! There are many more things I can do to make a villain like you suffer!~"

|| Limitless: A quirk passed down the Gojo family, allowing the user control over the space between matter itself ! Combine that with his second quirk, "Six Eyes" and that makes this underground Esper a truly formidable opponent !

     The black haired villain hissed under his breath, pushing himself to stand. There wasn't anything he could think of to beat this guy. And surrendering wasn't an option either! The papers slid around under his feet, almost making him trip.

     "So what'll it be then, hm~?.. You going to give up, or do I need to end this off with a bang?"

     He...couldn't see him... He couldn't see him. He couldn't see, couldn't SEE him!! What was he supposed to do!?! The fear alone was already starting to creep into his brain, overriding every thinking cell. There was nothing to do but panic!

---------------

     "You're so clumsy, you know that?!" Jay scolded me at the age of five. He was just about done with my tripping all over his things and running into people! All things I assumed couldn't be helped. "Here."

Clack!

     "Do you know what this sound is?"

     "Um...no?"

     "Are ya stupid or something?! Of course you know what it is! Guess for real!"

     I sweat nervously, recalling the millions of household sounds for one that matched. "It..sounds.. like metal?"

     "Closer~ Now try again!" He made the object a few feet in front of me repeat the same noise.

     "Um... Ooh! A can!"

     "There you go! Finally!. Not just any can, but, an empty one!" Jay stood up, grabbed a piece of paper, rolled it into a ball beside me, and placed it in the palm of my hand. "Now throw the ball into the can."

Problem: I couldn't see the can! Or whether or not the can was even open!

     "...Um..." In an attempt to achieve this otherwise impossible task, I got down on all fours and started crawling, feeling around the floor for the tin. Jay dragged me back up to my feet.

     "Nope! Not like that!.. Here!" He set me in place. "I'll tap the can so you know where it is. Keep trying until I say it's in the can!" I made a short series of nervous whines, but he pressed that I should try anyways.

     This game of ours became a daily thing until I eventually learned to gage the distance of an object judging by its sound alone. This, plus a few more games like it and my daily life as a blind kid, granted me a rather neat skill I never really acknowledged until now... When I needed it the most.

---------------

     He would need to refocus on these dormant skills if he was ever going to stand a chance! His quirk wasn't going to help anything, so why not give the past a chance?!

     It was the only thing Ryo really had now... The very past he wished to forget.

     But before that he'd need to focus in general! He was still scatterbrained mentally, having a difficult time functioning!

     Ryo slipped a pill into his mouth from a hidden jacket pocket of his. He was drugged a lot as a kid, but he hadn't the need to resort to this in years! Couldn't even remember exactly what he was taking. (Some blend of Dextroamphetamine and Benzodiazepines.) The man had to just hope its effects would kick in soon.

     "Reversed Cursed Technique: Red~" Crap, crap-crap! Gojo was right behind him!

PA-POW!!!

     A massive pillar of red tore through wall after wall. Ryo was ill prepared, but he managed to put up enough of a protective field around himself to sustain a surprisingly minimal amount of damage from that direct hit! But he still had so little idea of what he was going to do, how he could possibly overcome such immense weaknesses!

     Ryo fell through the sky, his hair and clothes just a little singed. He dropped, crashing through air on his way to the ground, so...confused.

     ' 'LOOK OUT, HE'S UNDERNEATH YOU!!!' '

     Huh!?! Mei again!? Was she trying to save him, or was this just a set-up? Either way, he was in a terrible mess!

     ...May as well trust an old loved one while he had the chance. If it was all a trap, then.. oh well.

     He had faith that maybe... Maybe she still loved him..

     Ryo listened. He teleported to the left of his previous location about fifteen feet at the very last second. A massive explosion of purple energy erupted throughout the sky! Ryo's eyes shot open in shock.

     Mei, she... She actually helped him!?

     ...He honestly wasn't expecting that...

     Guess not all things from the past come back to bite you.

     Gojo frowned for the first time on set after that Esper somehow evaded his attack! Ryo flipped around and stood in the air again, now looking at the battle ground from a whole different angle!

     The wind, how its muffled howls glided past his ear. The distant explosions. The air waves. The sounds of struggle under foot. Every living sound was now in the center of his attention! He could focus! In fact, Ryo blocked out almost everything there was to see. Everyone and everything. The world was so empty all of a sudden. Soully so that his ears could at last train onto what was important. His opponent's erratic heartbeat, breathing, the tensing of muscles, stretching of fabric.

     Yes, yes, now he had it. Not exact, but he could make out Gojo's general location now. He just needed to keep his ears trained and focused.

     "What's the matter? Running out of steam?" Ryo grinned.

     A swift whistle tore through the wind toward him. Ryo teleported away. Another followed from his right, so he teleported behind where assumed the man would be facing, striking with a spinning kick. His foot got caught on something. Not exactly a solid material.. Wait, was this his opponent's barrier?! Felt different than most, more like stiff memory foam than a solid wall of energy.

     Gojo turned, clapping slowly as he did so. "Gotta admit, you adjusted a little faster than I expected.. But does that make you competent enough to beat me?~ I'm afraid not~" The infinite field around Gojo expanded rapidly, flinging Ryo away!

     Gojo sighed, a little sad that he would have to put such a useful little opponent to rest. He had to grin, though. There was something fun about watching his opponent improve before his very eyes, thinking he could possibly adapt quickly enough to take him on! It was honestly endearing~ Maybe, in another life, Ryo could have been a helpful acquaintance assisting him in areas Gojo couldn't quite reach without ruining his reputation. 

     He sped after the teleporter, narrowly missing him each time. This was getting a little more interesting~ Unfortunately, however, Ryo was also getting terribly sloppy and predictable. He'd already mapped out the general shape of a triangle the weaker Esper kept looping in. This must be to preserve mental energy, but Gojo felt a little bad for him either way. After all, it wasn't entirely uncommon for his opponents to slowly lose their minds when coming face-to-face with his sheer power! That's just what hopelessness does to the mind after some time.

     Gojo predicted Ryo's next move easily, arriving at the next spot ahead of time to wait. There, he would finally end this.

     But something was a little different this time around. Instead of the man arriving, only his jacket appeared, flying into and draping over Gojo's barrier. "Wh?" He..wasn't really expecting that. The white haired Esper spun around, ready to strike the enemy there, but, Ryo wasn't there either. The white haired one could sense the other Esper's presence from the other side of that cheap excuse of a blind spot. But, he was just chilling there. The jacket eventually slipped off of Gojo's barrier, replaced with a few droplets of blood. The blind folded man's face shot upward, where Ryo instantly disappeared from sight.

     Alright... Gojo wasn't afraid to admit to himself. He had no idea what his opponent was trying to do.

     Ryo's right hand was drenched in his own blood as he reappeared. With a sinister grin, he teleported again, bloody arm reeled back!

     If this barrier was as Gojo had so foolishly revealed before, then he knew exactly what he needed to do to penetrate it! In fact, it was so simple he laughed at himself for being so stupid before!!

     The thing about Ryo's teleportation is that it isn't limited by the distance from point A to B. If he really wanted to, he could probably teleport right into the sun. All he needed to know is the the specific location he would be teleporting to. So, putting together the subtler sounds made by that loud mouth's body, plus his own teleportation abilities! And~

     Ryo teleported through Gojo's barrier, jabbing the bloody, metallic device into his skin. His whole arm shook and trembled on a molecular level, threatening to rip apart his very arm, but, as Ryo's blood dripped down Gojo's skin.. He hoped, he prayed; he knew that the other man was screwed!

     Gojo gasped faintly now. An entire chunk of flesh had been removed from the base of the villain's neck in order to retrieve this invaluable weapon!

     Slowly, he felt it crawling through his veins... The quirk erasing drug. It was too late already. His powers began to slip away. His Infinity barrier no longer tormented Ryo's bloody arm, and his own body began to grow heavier. Weaker. Frailer... Normaler.

     "Wu-yiwah!" Gojo slipped out of his place in the sky, his enemy the only one to catch him. The villain caught his opponent's wrist, holding him up hundreds of feet above the earth by only one arm. Gojo threw off his bandanna so that he could see. He eeped again at the sight of the now, very intimidating ground beneath him. His other arm flailed, catching a hold of Ryo's left ankle. "Whwhwh, what did you just DO!?!!" He already knew, but, he hoped that somehow it would all be revealed as a prank. Some kind of reality TV show or something. Honestly, worldwide humiliation would be a far cry from this!!!

     Ryo peered down at his blue eyed man with a cheeky grin, his own eyes opening to reveal their dark, black abysses. "Awwe, is someone afraid of falling~?" He mocked. Ohh, how sweet this revenge was! Ryo loosened his grip a little and shook the foot Gojo grappled ahold of.

     "Pl-please tell me this is a prank! Some kind of illusion?!"

     "Nnnnope!" Ryo vanished, leaving the one clinging to him alone in the air. Gojo screamed, that real, overwhelming sensation of pure fear gripping his heart as he plummeted toward the ground. "Gotcha!" Ryo caught the man in his arms bridal style, having too much fun teasing him to actually consider letting him die! That expression beat any pain in his body! Gojo's recovery breaths were wild and rapid. He both clung to and pushed away from the black haired Esper.

     "Th-thi-is stuff isn't permanent, right!?! Isn't there a cure?! Some kind of reversal drug!?" Though Gojo had been warned about this widespread drug again and again, he was so confident about not losing his quirk that he never even once asked questions about a fix.

     "Oh it's permanent alright! So far, only my boss has the ability to reverse it as well!" Ryo's head snapped up to the boss in question, who had a few little pests swarming around him at the moment. Wait a minute...

     All For One. He was...being attacked by his own NOMU!?!! Wait a minute, wait a minute!! ..Shigaraki was one of them!?

     Looks like his boss was in need of an emergency rescue. Ryo teleported to the ground with Gojo and tossed the loser aside. Not all too far off was the slowly awaking Teru. Though he was now in a bit of a hurry, Ryo remembered to smile slyly back at his officially defeated opponent.

     "Since you're such a big fan of mine, I'll make you an offer!.. Wait around here for three months, and I might just consider taking you to my boss to have your quirk restored!" Ryo teleported away, replaying that sweet sweet victory again in his head. Ohhh, it was rare these days that he got to be on top of the world like that!

----------

     Hawks soared over the campus in slow circles. With a grim look, he surveyed the battle below. Those Twice clones were still a problem.. Strange. They were fighting themselves for whatever reason! At first it was assumed that perhaps two men possessed the same quirk, but no. It was the same man. The same scars, face, and voice to boot.

     So why did such a massive rift exist between himself? Hawks wished he knew.. After trying and failing to join the League of Villains as an undercover agent, there wasn't much the pro hero could do but roll his eyes and hope for nothing too big to break out of the woodworks. Good thing UA had someone capable of predicting all of this, because... Sheesh! It was rough! He helped however he could, swooping in to save others whenever, but, his designated mission was to track down the source of these clones and put an end to it. Specifically the bad ones, which were winning at the moment.

     'Come onnn! These guys have to be coming from somewhere!!'

     From up above, Hawks could view the flow of movement a lot better. It looked kind of like a living painting from up here. The mixes of color, swirling of competing forces. All of the "dark Twices," while able to regenerate one another like it was nothing, were at their strongest near the corner of the campus. This must have something to do with how his quirk worked. And a perfect way to track the main one down. The "suit Twices" weren't quite so trackable! Almost like the original was ringing around the inside of the wall. Were they...looking for each other? 

     Hawks dove in on his suspected target to get a better view. He dodged and slashed a couple Nomu that tried to attack him on the way, eventually landing on the wall in the near corner of the campus. Hawks grinned, finally spotting the pillar of all this chaos.

     Twice stood under a tree, a river of his copies flowing from him. He stared out at the battlefield with a conflicted look. He didn't want to be doing this! It seemed pretty pointless, but, surely his friends had a plan! This end goal would surely help them in the end! Then, everything would be peachy! He didn't really know what else to do!

     Why was... Why was his other self fighting so hard against this..? Which one of him was right? Who made the right choice in the end?! Was his other self fighting just because he felt forced too?? Or, had he actually managed to make some friends.. on the other side? He wanted to find out, but he was too busy here. Maybe his other self was on his way..

     Hawks equipped two large blade-like feathers in each hand. He dropped down the wall beside the tree Twice hid under, ready for a quick and easy kill. As Hawks dropped, making eye contact with his latest victim, a double the blond hero didn't expect jumped in the way. Unlike any of the others, this one wore no mask, instead an eye patch and dyed black hair at the tips.

     Crimson feathers crunched through bones and flesh, splattering blood over the floor, shocking Twice out of creating any more clones. He stopped at once, carefully easing closer to the eye patch look-alike. Though he was wearing the same villain costume, this wasn't a clone of his.. at least not from today...

     The eye patched one coughed blood, which sprinkled Hawk's face. The hero's eyes widened slightly, breath hitching. Did he just...kill the good one?!

     A nomu with an alligator-like snout snapped at the hero. Hawks leapt out of the way, taking his bloody feathers with him to fight the beast from the air.

     The unmasked Twice/Jin swayed, collapsing into the blonder one's arms. The evil Twice tore off his mask, arms shaking as he held...potentially his real self.

     "Me..? Is it..? Which one are you??" Twice dropped to his knees under the growing weight the other burdened him with. Jin fell back, laying partially on the other's lap.

     "...We agreed to meet each other again..right?"

     "N-not like this!!. Why are you even here..fighting?! I- I thought you were going to be the one to try to live a normal life!"

     "I did live a normal life.." Jin's hazy eyes blinked up at his blond double, smiling tiredly. "Your life is worth so much more than you think it does.. Don't waste it on being a criminal anymore." Jin's left arm rose, gently brushing against the other's face.

     The blood on the floor below him faded to a dirt brown.

   Twice's eyes widened, sad, but also filled with hope. "So you're saying... The life you chose really is better..?

     Jin coughed, a little blood spitting out. "....Thh...H### yeah..."

     "What do I.. What do I do now?? Do I-? Should I-?!"

     "...I trust you're smart enough to figure that out on your own.." Jin's hand brushed against the other's shoulder. "Now...go.. before that hero gets back."

     Twice nodded, gently setting the other down. He stood quickly beside him. "Thank you.." He whispered, then ran off.

     Jin smiled faintly as he stared up at the sky... Despite all this chaos, bloodshed, and violence...it was still so blue. His hand stretched out, vision getting foggy as he reached for the sky.

     ...Even if all these lovely memories were lost, Jin smiled, knowing another part of him could still be there to protect his friends.

-----

     'I need t'... I need to be of use to somebody at least!.' Twice made his escape, running along the wall of the campus to ensure he didn't get caught up in any huge battles. He gasped, a lightbulb lighting in his head. 'I got it!! I need to break up this fight! Doesn't matter who wins in the end! People will continue to die if I do nothing! I gotta at least break up enough fights to end this! No winners or losers! Just a break! Everybody just needs a break!' Doubles began to split off from the blond as he ran, each racing into the chaos with a new goal in mind. This war would end soon. He would make sure of it!

-----

     Serizawa panted as he crossed the field. He reached where he last caught a glimpse of the Jin with an eye patch. But now, he froze in place, holding his breath.

     There lay a man with his hair dyed black at the tips, and...an eye patch...

     "JIN!!" Serizawa bolted toward the other. He fell at the other's side, disturbed by the sheer amount of blood. But, there was something more to it.. He was slowly disintegrating into a dark brown-ish gray puddle...just like the other doubles. "Jin, why are you puddling?! Are?!.. Are-are--" Jin, lying on the floor, grabbed the seated one's wrist and squeezed it tightly. The brunette's eyes left the blood and goop, focusing on the other's face. Jin's eyes were pooling with tears, prompting Serizawa's to mimic.

     "I knew all along.." Jin stammered. "At-at least..almost."

     "You knew..what?"

     "That I wasn't really the original.." He horsed. "Back when we were fighting that weird flesh controlling spirit.. I- I tripped on another human. I touched it!.. But I...didn't turn into anything... I really didn't want you guys to waste your time on a fake me, bu-but...I liked working with you guys... Even if I didn't have any spiritual powers...it was fun.."

     "...It was fun working with you too..." Tears filled his eyes. He held the dying one's hand with both of his own. "We-well can still work together! Someone can heal you! Just hang on!--"

     "--No..." Jin's voice was soft. Weak. His unfocused eyes returned to aim up at the sky again. "...Just stay here..please... I don't want to waste your time or anything.. but..would you watch the sky with me...just this once..?" Serizawa's head leaned back, inhaling a long, stifled breath. His cheeks were wet with tears.

     "...Mhm.." He nodded. Jin's hand clutched Serizawa's a little tighter. There on the battle field, the two men stared up at the sky together -- one sitting, one standing -- as the life slowly drained from the blond man's eyes. They stayed like that for a while. Not a word spoken between the two... Serizawa held his breath as his coworker's warm hand lost its shape, melting into a lukewarm goop within his.

     The Esper clamped his eyes shut, expelling a sharp exhale from his nose.

     Guess...that was it.

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